Snap fastener



Nov 6s F- s. SNAP FASTENER Filed July 23, 1926 E E'ed Si aan?,

gig/W1 f" w51@ Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

Uhll'ifED STATES CAR-R, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSGITOR T0 CARR FASTENER COMI- FRED S.

PANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CR-PRATION OF SNAP FASTENER.

Application led July 23,

This invention aims to provide an improved snap fastener of the :type wherein the fastener may Ibe separated by a pull at any side thereof. i

ln the drawings, which illustrate a pre ferred einliiediment ofzmy invention Figure 1 .is a front elevationof the stud and socket secured together; Y

Fig. 2 is a section on the :line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the stud being shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation lof the socket shown attached to a support; and

lf is a section of the socket yon line l-l of Fig. 3.

Referring to the embodiment of Amy invention illustrated by the drawings, l have shown a snap fastener including a stud member, as illustrated in Fig. 2, having a rounded head 1, neck 2, shank 3 andjbase 4. The stud may he secured in any suitable manner to a support, but for convenience is here shownr as secured to the body 5 of a vehicle by a screw (i. rlhe fastener' also includes a socket which has a one-piece back plate 7, and a one-piece front plate 8 .secured to opposite sides of a curtain 9 of the vehicle by means of attaching prongs l() formed integral with the front plate. lhe prongs l() pass through the curtain 9, through slots 1l in the back plate, and are then bent downwardly against the back plate 7 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In forming` the back plate 7, the central portion is pressed out to provide a stud-receiving aperture 12 therethrough, the metal pressed out being in the form of a tapered wall surrounding the aperture. By slitting this wall, I provide a plurality of resilient fingers 13 having their free ends bent inwardly to provide smoothly rounded neckengaging j aw portions 14. The slits extend a substantial distance into the base of the back plate 7, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to permit free expansion and contraction of the lingers 13. Y When the plates of the socket are assembled with the curtain 9, the fingers 13 pass through an aperture in the curtain and the free ends of the fingers extend through an aperture 15 in the front plate 8. Therefore, when the socket is completely assembled, a stud-receiving aperture is presented which passes completely through the socket installation. The'st-ud and socket may be engaged by pressing the socket toward the stud, the head 1 of the stud thereby passing through the aper- 19'26. Serial No. 124,383.

ture 12 in the back plate 7 and engaging the jaw portions .lflfand expanding the ngers 13 to permit the head 1 to pass so that the jaws l-l may snap into the neck Q back ofthe head, as shown in Fig. Q.

Thus, when the stud and socket are engaged as shown in Fig. 2, the lingers 13 surround the shank ofthe stud and are spaced uniformly away therefrom on all sides. The distance between the lingers and the shank increases on all sides from the points of engagement of the jaws 14; at the neck to the base ofthe back plate, so that when a separating pull is exerted upon the curtain at any side ofthe socket, the socket may tip relative to the stud and become disengaged therefrom.

If undue stress is exertednpon the lingers 13 at any time during engagement or disengagement of the fastener, the free end portions of the lingers will expand only suiiiciently to engage and be supported by the wall surrounding the aperture 15 in the front plate 8. thereby preventing accidental setting of the fingers.

l/Vhile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that l do not wish to be limited thereby, my invention being best defined in the followingl claims.

Claims:

1. A snap fastener comprising, in combi* nation, a stud member having a head, a neck and a shank portion, a socket for engagement with said stud comprising a back plate and a front plate located at opposite sides of a support, attaching means presented by one of said plates and passing through the other plate to secure beth plates to the support and a plurality of contractible and expansible stud-engaging lingers extending from said back plate through an aperture in said front plate thereby to provide a stud-receiving aperture extending entirely through said socket so that the head of the stud may pass entirely through the socket and be exposed at the front face of the support to permit the free ends of the fingers to engage the neck of the stud, said fingers being suliiciently spaced away from the shank of the stud to permit separation of the fastener by an outward pull at any side thereof.

2. A snap fastener comprising, in combination, a stud member having a head, a neck and a shank portion, a. socket for engagement with said stud comprising a back plate and a front plate located at opposite sides of a support, attaching means presented by one of said plates and passing through the other plate to secure both platesto the support and a plurality of contractihle and eXpansilole stud-engaging lingers extending from said loa-ck plate through an aperture in said front plate kthereby to provide a stud-receiving aperture extending entirely through said socket so that the head of the stud may pass entirely through the socket andv be exposed at the front face of the support to permit the free ends of the fingers t0 engage the neck of the stud, said fingers being sufficiently spaced away from the shank of the stud to permit separation of the fastener by an outward pull at any side thereof, the Wall surrounding the aperture in said front plate i relatively closely embracing said fingers to prevent over-expansion of said fingers.

3. A fastened socket installation comprising a back plate and a. front plate located on opposite sides 0f a socketfcarryingl medium, nieans'for securing said plates to the carrying medium, a plurality of uniformly converging resilient stud-engaging fingers pressed from through an aperture in said other plate, thereby to provide a socket installation having a stud-receiving aperture extending entirely therethrough, the resilientstud-engaging ingers being uniformly converged to permit separation from a stud hy a pull at any side thereof. i

4. A two-piece fastener socket comprising a frontplate and a back plate secured to opposite sides of a curtain, a. tapered cylindrical portion pressed from said back plate to provide a stud-receiving aperture, said tapered portion slit to provide contractible and expansible stud-engaging portions the free ends of Which extend throughan aperture in the front plate, and a Wall surrounding said aperture for hack-supporting said iingers to prevent over-expansion thereof When an alonorinal strain is 'exerted upon said lingers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my naine to this specification.

FRED s. GARR., 

